Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BURSE, n. [burs. Fr. bourse, a purse, the vesicle of the gall, the hull or skin of seeds, an exchange; D. beurs, a purse, an exchange, scrotum; Ger. börse, a purse, an exchange; D. börs, the same; It. borsa; Sp. and Port. bolsa, a purse or bag, r being changed into l.]

1. A public edifice in certain cities, for the meeting of merchants to consult on matters of trade and money, and to negotiate bills of exchange. This is the name used in many cities in Europe, but in England and America, such building is called an exchange. The new Burse in Paris is one of the most elegant buildings in the city.
2. In France, a fund or foundation for the maintenance of poor scholars in their studies. In the middle ages, it signified a little college, or a hall in a university. – Encyc.